Self-opening die head



April 1930. A. F. BREITENSTEIN 1,753,848

SELF OPENING DIE HEAD led Aug. 18 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 8, 1930.A. F.BREITENSTEIN SELF OPENING DIE HEAD 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 37 I WMV M 5m m/u m) Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES ALBERT F.BREITENSTEIN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEO- METRICTOOL CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION SELF-OPENING DIE HEADSubstitute for abandoned application Serial No. 129,868, filed August18, 1926.

18,1928. Serial No. 278,837.

' This application is a substitute for application Serial No. 129,868filed August 18, 1926.

My invention relates to an improvement in self-opening die-heads, theobject being to produce a simple, compact, efficient and durable fixtureconstructed with particular reference to being tripped from the insideor the outside, according to the nature and exigency of its use.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a self-openingdie-head characterized by having an axially-movable trippingsleeveadapted to be tripped by an abutment external to the fixture and also tobe internally tripped through the agency of the work being threaded bythe fixture.

My invention further consists in a dle-head characterized as above andhaving certain details of construction and combinations of parts as willbe hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a selfopening die-head embodyingmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a view thereof in front end elevation' Fig. 3 is a viewthereof in transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view of the die-head in central longitudinal section,showing the fixture as closed, preparatory to a threading operation' 5is a corresponding view showing the parts of the die-head in thepositions due to them at the conclusion of a threading operation, and atthe instant of the disengagement of the locking-plate from theadjusting-nut and before i the operating-sleeve has been moved rearward,which will instantly follow; Y

Fig. 6 is a corresponding view; showing i the parts of the die-head inthe positions due to them at the conclusion of the rearward movement ofthe operating-sleeve, whic'his accompanied by the retraction of thechasers;

Fig. 7 is a view of the die-head in transverse section on the line 7-7of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a broken detail sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 2; v g jThis application filed May Fig. 9 is a broken detail sectional view,

showing a modified form of one feature of my improved fixture.

For the illustration of my invention I have shown it as applied to aself-opening diehead having a skeleton body 10' and an integral tubularshank 11, the said' body being provided at its outer end with fourequidistant radial grooves 12 for the reception of a correspondingnumber of chasers 13 having their inner ends threaded as at-14 and theirouter ends beveled as. at 15. ;The beveled outer end of each chaserco-act's with a bevel 16 in the inner corner of the outer end of anoperating-sleeve 17'having rectilinear movement upon the skeletondie-body 10 aforesaid. Each of the chasers 13 is also furnished near itsouter end with an inwardly-projecting operating-pin 18 engaged by aspring-actuated plunger 19 in a radial bore 20 in the said bodylO,whereby the respective chasers are constantly urged to move into theirexpanded or retracted positions.

moved rearwardly upon the body 10 by means of two oppositely-locatedoperatingsprings 21 located in bores 22 in the'body 10 and at theirprojecting rear ends engaging the forwardly-facing shoulder 23 of theoperating-sleeve 17. V V

For locking the operating-sleeve 17 in its forward or chaser-closingpositionagainst the tension of the said springs 21, in which position itholds the chasers 13 in their cutting positions, I employ aloosely-positioned ringlike locking-plate 24 having limited diametricmovement in a groove 25 formed in the inner face of the reduced rear endof the operating-sleeve 17.

PATENT. OFFICE j Gil sage leading from the said groove to the peripheryof the rear end of the sleeve.

The said plate 24 is formed with a large central opening 28, whereby itis adapted to loosely embrace, as it were, an adjusting-nut 29 threadedupon the shank 11 for the adjust ment of the cutting diameter of thechasers 13. At its forward end the nut 29 is reduced in diameter to forma forwardlyfacing locking-shoulder 30 which is engaged by the rear faceof that portion of the locking-plate 2 1 lying adjacent to the opening28 therein and opposite to the operatingtongue 26 thereof, as shownparticularly in Fig. 4. A flat sheet-metal spring 31, lying in thebottom of the groove 25, provides for constantly urging the movement ofthe plate 24 into position for such locking engagement.

For guiding the plate 24 in its limited diametric movements, I employ apair of guide-pins 32 mounted in the operating-sleeve 17 and extendingthrough its groove at opposite points therein, in position to engagewith flattened guide-surfaces 33 formed upon the opposite side of theplate. A pair of similar pins 34 are also mounted in the sleeve 17 inposition to engage with the opposite edges of the maerating-tongue 26 ofthe plate, whereby the plate, although free for limited diametriomovement, is restrained from lateral displacement.

For disengaging the locking-plate 24 from the locking-shoulder of thenut 29 to permit the operating-sleeve 17 to move into its rearward orchaser-retracted position, the outer end of the tongue 26 is formed witha bevel 35 co-acting with the beveled forward wall 36 of a segmentalnotch 37 in the inner periphery of the rear end of a trippingsleeve 38which has rectilinear movement upon the operating-sleeve 17.

The rear end of the said tripping-sleeve 38 is formed with an annulargroove 39 designed to receive a yoke, or other suitable abutment,properly located in the machine in which the die-head is used in theordinary manner, and not shown herein. This groove 39 thus provides forthe external tripping of the diehead by an abutment external to it andmounted independently of it.

For the internal tripping of the die-head through the agency of the workitself, rather than through the agency of an external abutment, Iprovide a tripping-rod t0, centrally located within the die-body 10 andmounted in a bushing 41 fitting into and having limited reciprocatingmovement in the bore 12 thereof. The said tripping-rod is held in anydesired position with respect to the said bushing by means of acoupling-screw 43 extending radially between the bushing 41 and thetripping-sleeve 38, as shown in Fig. 4. To provide for the clearance ofthe screw 13 and for its radial reciprocation, the body 10 is formedwith a radial slot 4 1, and the operating-sleeve with a correspondingslot 45. At its forward end, the rod 10 is provided with a T-head 46secured in place by a pin 4-7 for insuring the actuation of the rod 40by articles having a bore of larger diameter than the diameter of therod, such as some gauges of pipe.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, my improved'die-head is, in itsclosed position, ready fora threading operation, at which time thelocking-plate 24 is engaged with the shoulder 30 of the adjusting-nut 29by the spring 31, whereby the operating-sleeve 17 is locked in itsforward or chaser-closing position against the counter-urge of thesprings 21. In this position of the plate 24 it holds the chasers 13 intheir cutting positions against the tension of their spring-actuatedplungers 19 and the operating-sleeve 17 against the counter-urge of thesprings 21, the said plungers tending to move the chasers outward andthe said springs tending to move the said sleeve rearward. At this time,also, the tripping-sleeve 38 is at the limit of its forward movement, asshown in Fig. 4.

At a predetermined point in the threading operation, during which thedie-head is usually moved toward the work, though the work may be movedinto the die-head, the tripping-sleeve 38 is arrested by the yoke, or

other suitable abutment, set in the usual and well-known manner,according to the character of the work to be done, in the machine inwhich the die-head is being used. Vhen the tripping-sleeve is thusarrested, its bevel 36 operates upon the bevel 35 of theoperating-tongue 26 of the locking-plate 24 to diametrically move thesame against the tension of the spring 31, so as to disengage the platefrom the locking-shoulder 30 of the adjusting-nut 29, as shown in Fig.5. The springs 21 now assert themselves to move the operating-sleeve 17rearward with respect to the die-body 10, so as to permit the severalchasers 13 to be moved radially outward away from the work by theirspring-actuated plungers 19. At the conclusion of the action lastdescribed, the parts assume the positions in which they are shown inFig. 6.

In case it is desired to have the die-head automatically tripped throughthe agency of the work itself, instead of through the agency of anexternal abutment, as above described, the coupling-screw 13 is loosenedand the tripping-rod 4C0 longitudinally moved in the bushing 41, asbecomes necessary to trip the die-head at the predetermined point of itstravel demanded by the given work to be done, after which thecoupling-screw 4:3 is tightened so as to form a rigid coupling betweenthe tripping-sleeve 38 and the tripping-rod 40.

Now, in the use of the die-head the work, by impinging directly upon theforward end of the rod 40, arrests the movement thereof with thedie-head, and hence the movement of the tripping-sleeve 38, whereby thelocking-plate 24 is operated to trip the die-head in the manner alreadydescribed.

It will thus be seen that my improved diehead may be tripped by anexternal abutment, or internally tripped through the agency of the workitself, as may be found most expedient, my die-head combining in oneunitary structure these two modes of tripping.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a modified form of locking-plate in which thetongue 26 of the plate 24, instead of having its outer end beveled, isformed with a surface 48 lying at a right angle to its plane. Betweenthis surface and the bevel 36 of the trippingsleeve 38 I interpose atransmission member in the form of a ball 49. When now thetripping-sleeve is moved rearward in the manner described, its bevel 36crowds the ball 49 radially inward, whereby the locking-plate is movedcorrespondingly for the release of the locking-plate from theadjusting-nut, as in the manner heretofore described.

I claim:

A self-opening die-head having a body formed with a central longitudinalbore and with a radial clearance-passage intersecting the same,radially-movable chasers mounted in the forward end of the said body,anonrotary chaser-operating sleeve axially-movable upon the said body andformed with a radial clearance-passage registering with the said radialclearance-passage in the said body, a non-rotary tripping-sleeve axiallymovable upon the said operating-sleeve and adapted to co-act with anabutment external to the fixture, spring-means for normally urging thechaser-operating sleeve into its chaser-retracted position, alocking-member for holding the said chaser-operating sleeve in positionfor maintaining the chasers in their cuttingh positions, a bushinghaving bearing in t e bore of the said body and axially movable thereinand itself having a central longitudinal passage intersected by a radialthreaded bore, a tripping-rod located in the passage of the said bushingand adjustably slidable therein, and a radiallyarranged coupling-screwhaving its inner end threaded into the threaded bore of the bushing forengagement with the said trippingrod for clamping the same in positionin the bushing and extending radially outwardly through theclearance-passages in the said body and operating-sleeve and into thetripping-sleeve through the periphery of which it is available for beingturned to clamp and release the said tripping-rod, whereby thetripping-sleeve and tripping-rod are connected together and the lattermay be clamped and released for its adjustment from the outsideof thetripping-sleeve, and whereby chips and dirt are excluded from betweenthe sleeves of the die-head.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

ALBERT F. BREITENSTEIN.

